Since their admittance into the competition in 1991, there are few teams who have played out as many classic games against the Crows as North Melbourne.

From the genuine rivalry of the mid-late 1990s to the current rebuild, the fortunes of the Crows and Kangaroos have run parallel to each other for over 30 years.

Both teams will look to add another chapter to the rivalry this weekend, and the Kangaroos can look to some previous performances for some added motivation and drive to get over the line.

Round 9, 2020

Jed Anderson dominates in contested midfield masterclass

After failing to defeat Adelaide in two attempts last season, the last time the Kangaroos won the four points against the Crows was back in 2020, their first and only win in the Gold Coast hub.

While the base of the fantastic 69-point win was built off the back of a strong team performance - seven players kicked multiple goals - it was Jed Anderson who stood head and shoulders above the rest to lead the team to victory.

Anderson was at his brutal best in the midfield, finishing with eight clearances and eight tackles on top of 28 disposals in a brilliant display of the hard-nosed contested football on which he has formed his reputation.

To top it all off he finished with a classy goal in the final term.

It was a triumphant day for the side. Not only did the monster win snap a six-game losing streak, but it also marked the return of fan-favourite Majak Daw to senior football after his recovery from the serious injuries.

Round 22, 2014

Ziebell stands tall as future skipper kicks four

In the penultimate round of the season, both North Melbourne and Adelaide were fighting tooth and nail for a spot in the finals. For the Crows victory in Round 22, 2014 would give them a chance to sneak into the top eight. For the Kangaroos it meant the likelihood of a sixth-placed finish and the home final that came with it.

In a game filled with momentum shifts and lead changes, North found themselves on the wrong side of a five-point deficit at half-time. Enter future captain Jack Ziebell.

Ziebell, who had already kicked two goals for the day, opened the final quarter like a man possessed, kicking the team’s first two majors of the term to hand North a one-point lead. A lead they wouldn’t give up before the final siren.

Both sides struggled for accuracy in front of goals for the day and Ziebell was no different with four goals and five behinds.

His ability to stand up and be counted with the season on the line showed his potential as a future skipper, and the Kangaroos would go on to make the first of two consecutive preliminary finals at the end of 2014.

Round 13, 2012

Leigh Adams leads the charge against powerful Crows outfit

In a season where the Kangaroos scraped into finals in eighth, this win over eventual second-place finishers and preliminary finalists Adelaide proved to be a crucial moment in the season.

North dominated one of the best teams in the competition and led at every change, including by 41 points at half-time.

While Robbie Tarrant kicked four goals and Daniel Wells finished with 31 touches, it was Leigh Adams who put together a complete performance in the midfield and forward line, finishing with 26 disposals and three goals of his own.

The 2012 season was one of the best of Adams’ playing career before injury and concussion problems forced him into retirement in 2015, and his performance against the Crows was arguably his best ever in a North Melbourne jumper.

Round 7, 1999

Craig Sholl kicks six as the Roos get their revenge

Those who played in the great North Melbourne sides of the 1990s will be the first to admit while winning two premierships in 1996 and 1999 was a great achievement, they could have won even more.

One great rival of that team was the Crows side that went back to back in 1997 and 1998, where they won the second of those Grand Finals against the Kangaroos.

Round 7 was the first chance North had to get some form of revenge on the Crows for the 1998 defeat, and they won the game in style to overcome their opposition by 56 points.

Five players finished the game with two goals and Shannon Grant was deadly with 30 disposals, but it was Craig Sholl, ‘The Doctor’, who stood up for the Roos with six goals in a stylish performance.

While the Crows could still brandish the premiership medals around their necks from the year before, the Kangaroos proved their elite mentality to overcome the demons of the year before en route to the famous 1999 premiership win.

Round 9, 1991

Carl Dilena stars in our inaugural clash with the Crows

In 1991 Adelaide became the first expansion side admitted into the AFL. Their success helped to pave the way for the likes of Fremantle, Gold Coast and GWS.

Upon their entry into the competition the Crows were immediately a competitive side, and they played a Roos team on the rise for the first time ever in Round 9, 1991.

Fresh off of his Coleman Medal-winning season of 1990, young forward John Longmire did the damage forward of the ball with six goals, but it was future North Melbourne CEO Carl Dilena who did the damage for the Kangaroos higher up the ground.

In what was undoubtedly a career-best performance, Dilena had the ball on a string to finish with 39 disposals and even drifted forward to kick a goal in an instant classic of a game.

The tight and exciting contest between these two sides in their first ever meeting helped to lay the bedrock of one of the AFL’s great on-field rivalries of the 1990s.